Kostas

Detractors can fuck off. Not everyone's cup of tea but always made the effort, never moaned and had the game of his life in Munich. I'll miss defending him to muppets.
African Zidane.

Why the hell did no-one inform me about his contract situation? 
Anyway as he's been slowly falling out of favour over the past 3 seasons can't blame him for leaving. China is a bit too cynical for my taste but he's given this club enough to get a free pass on that. 
Hope I'll manage to find a Chelsea kit with his name on within the next few years.

Everton full match
Leicester
 
 
Southampton
 
 
This is the only Mounure vid I can see on Youtube I'm afraid but theres a Torrent of it you can download
 
 

If we finish 2nd the way we have been playing then no chance is happening, if we suddenly from a fortnight forward go all 10/11 and start producing stale rubbish and sneak 2nd through grinding undeserved results then he might be in trouble. I still get annoyed by this myth we keep sacking great managers out of the blue when we are doing well, aside from Ranieri (and Avram if you believe he was the gaffer in anything other than name) all our sackings have been with the team in a downward spiral, infact you could make a case for all of them surviving longer than they actually deserved.
 

Highlights:
1. first six games - a little shaky, we lost against Liverpool and Arsenal, a few people were already moaning - 2. Antonio implements the 3-4-3 system, drops Oscar, Fabregas, Ivanovic, gives Pedro and Moses chances, Alonso and Luiz become starters, Diego Costa turns into an angelito - 3. Five consecutive wins, 16 goals scored, 0 conceded, battered Hull, the champions Leicester, Mourinho's United, the undefeated at home since February Soton and 6th in the league Everton. Now, everybody loves him. 
And dude, really, if you haven't been able to watch these games, I am very sorry for you. My advice would be to do the impossible if necessarry, in order to watch the next game  
____________
Someone was saying that we still need reinforcements and I agree with him. I'd also like to add that, if we keep playing and winning like this, it will be much easier to attract players. They will beg their clubs to be allowed to sign for us. Who wouldn't want to play for such a strong and beautiful team with such a fantastic manager? 

[emoji1] [emoji1]
I definitely wouldn't unfriend you over this! I haven't suffered through all those Juve posts for nothing!
(I would however look into blocking the transfer rumors subforum since I've never seen one thats worth my time)
I'm also sure it's not the settings as that doesn't happen for any of my other forums and I haven't changed anything recently, I have looked though trust me. I'm sure there's something@Jim or whoever else is responsible for the backend could do to look into this.
BTW, it's quite neat how this app doesn't show which ones of you are mods and I can keep pretending that we're equals.

@Kostas so you don't want to read my and @LDN Blue's posts?
No idea, man. Try checking the settings of app or just unfriend us...it's not like we ever got anything out of this friendship but hurtful words!   

Hey guys
Think there must be some problem with Tapatalk integration cause during the past week I've had every posting of my TC friends show up in the Tapatalk notifications list, as if I was subscribed to every topic they lost in. Now don't get me wrong, I got much love for you guys but that feed is meant for actually topic subscriptions.
Plus I have no idea who the hell is Jackson Martinez is and I don't want anyone to think I'm in any way interested in him :

Terry has played this quite smart tbh. He knows by leaking the news out to the media and public that he has not been offered a new contract, that it will cause huge uproar. If he left it till the end of the season, less time to sort out but now our club is going to be hounded by the media and fans alike and maybe that will work to his advantage. Not criticizing him but just feel it was not 100% necessary to confirm that.
I mean look at City. Pellegrini probably knows he is leaving at the end of the season and I would not be surprised if he knew right from the beginning of the season however he has adhered with the club to keep that completely internal because if it does get leaked out, it could have an adverse affect and create more headlines but while it is kept underlipped, the team are joint 2nd in the league and are aguably a lot of people's favourites to regain the title and also in the running for the quadruple.
Now, any time we keep a clean sheet, the media are going to jump on the bandwagon straight away and be like "Chelsea are ludicrous to not be offering JT a contract", "this performance proves he is worthy of another year" and "what are the club thinking" etc. I just don't know if it was totally right to do that because now all of a sudden if he is offered a contract all of a sudden, you will get many headlines about Roman falling under fan pressure and it was reluctant decision. Similar to the Di Matteo appointment after winning the UCL.
It does not change the fact that I think the club will be mad not to offer him a contract but just feel this will create unneccessary headlines. Hopefully it does not affect the team's performance though.

Fucking hell, JT can't ever go a season without making headlines can he?..
I don't really get it. 29 yo Cahill gets a long-term contract but doesn't play, Terry's 35 can't get a year and is playing every match.
Key's in the age though, 35 and the club's trying to make a massive improvement with average age in key positions. Been an honour watching this man lead us through the enormous uplift this club has endured over the decade, through the lows of Moscow to the highs of Munich (somewhat, see opening sentence )
He'll be back, that I've got no doubt about. He knows only Chelsea, he is Chelsea.
 
 

Thank you! This is along very similar lines to the ones I've been thinking. The perpetual relapse and search for a new project and associated Mesiah seems to indicate a larger dynamic.I'm beginning to wonder whether, aside from the obvious innumerable failings of our club, the idea of a project (manifested in that long-term manager we never had) is really now a false thing to believe in (or even aspire to?).
Whether that's due to the ever increased professionalization of the sport or the money in it now, your guess is as good as mine but you can't deny that attachment to long-lasting managers is really the exception rather than the rule.
As much as I hate the revisioning of Mourinho's time at Real, the most sycophantic thing about it is how those who blame him for being a short-term solution willfully ignore that he's alongside DelBosque the only manager to have survived 3 seasons in decades. Bayern haven't had a manager who stayed over 3 seasons in 11 years. In the PL, aside from unambitious clubs like Arsenal (seen any sane Arsenal fan around recently?) and Everton in the Moyes years the trend has been the same.
ManUtd under Fergie is the model but they've been erratic at best since he retired, they may very well be on the market alongside us in May. ManCity have been underperforming relative to their investment and squad and are coming near the end of a circle, their parting with Mancini was still much more peaceful than what we usually experience. Liverpool, Tottenham and Chelsea have all had hot managerial prospects, but their light shined for a season max. Was there a more promising manager when we hired AVB? Was there a more correct decision than getting rid of him?
Put it another way, do the other top clubs go through quasi-existential crises when they sack managers, or do we blow the issue out of proportion?
Edit: Came across similar charts from the FT

Fucks sake Chelsea, a man can't take a 4 year hiatus without the club imploding..

Please stop posting for these rubbish cunts.

Again, I think that downplays a lot of the nuances involved in football. For Cesc to have time to play a pass or for Hazard to have space to operate in you need 10 other players working together to create that. It's about dragging the opposition around the pitch, letting them overcommit in one area and attacking the space they've left. I know this is very simple stuff and something everyone understands but it's occasionally worthwhile getting right back to basics.
When something is reiterated a number of times, like Jose or Fergie are footballing geniuses, there is obviously going to be another line of thinking that arises that simply asks 'but are they?'.
The biggest issue for me all season has probably been Diego Costa not doing the basics, occupying the right areas and Jose specifically mentioned that. If we can fix that then we go a long way towards sorting a lot of the issues facing this team. Cesc has someone to target, Eden has someone to drag defenders away from him etc.

For the love of god, stop these endless and pointless news quotes that have no credibility to them whatsoever.
What is the point of them? they only rile people up and then they spend pages of fruitless debate on them.

Just wondering if you ever have an opinion on anything or is it your thing just to post continual links to shoite gutter media

I have to say that I respect the endurance of the people still arguing about Mourinho as opposed to his sacking in this thread. If we can't even agree on whether he is one of the best managers in the world or a pretender who got lucky winning the CL twice no wonder this discussion is moving in circles.
Maybe 2 different post sacking threads would work better? One for the optimistic "our post 2012 project can continue" and one "we sacked our best manager ever, who are we as a club"?
Is City's football supposed to be anti-Mourinhoesque?I always suspected he was a bot. I mean, why else would someone care so much about the most random online drivel enough to both go looking for it and bringing it over to the board?

Thank you! This is along very similar lines to the ones I've been thinking. The perpetual relapse and search for a new project and associated Mesiah seems to indicate a larger dynamic.I'm beginning to wonder whether, aside from the obvious innumerable failings of our club, the idea of a project (manifested in that long-term manager we never had) is really now a false thing to believe in (or even aspire to?).
Whether that's due to the ever increased professionalization of the sport or the money in it now, your guess is as good as mine but you can't deny that attachment to long-lasting managers is really the exception rather than the rule.
As much as I hate the revisioning of Mourinho's time at Real, the most sycophantic thing about it is how those who blame him for being a short-term solution willfully ignore that he's alongside DelBosque the only manager to have survived 3 seasons in decades. Bayern haven't had a manager who stayed over 3 seasons in 11 years. In the PL, aside from unambitious clubs like Arsenal (seen any sane Arsenal fan around recently?) and Everton in the Moyes years the trend has been the same.
ManUtd under Fergie is the model but they've been erratic at best since he retired, they may very well be on the market alongside us in May. ManCity have been underperforming relative to their investment and squad and are coming near the end of a circle, their parting with Mancini was still much more peaceful than what we usually experience. Liverpool, Tottenham and Chelsea have all had hot managerial prospects, but their light shined for a season max. Was there a more promising manager when we hired AVB? Was there a more correct decision than getting rid of him?
Put it another way, do the other top clubs go through quasi-existential crises when they sack managers, or do we blow the issue out of proportion?
Edit: Came across similar charts from the FT

Thank you! This is along very similar lines to the ones I've been thinking. The perpetual relapse and search for a new project and associated Mesiah seems to indicate a larger dynamic.I'm beginning to wonder whether, aside from the obvious innumerable failings of our club, the idea of a project (manifested in that long-term manager we never had) is really now a false thing to believe in (or even aspire to?).
Whether that's due to the ever increased professionalization of the sport or the money in it now, your guess is as good as mine but you can't deny that attachment to long-lasting managers is really the exception rather than the rule.
As much as I hate the revisioning of Mourinho's time at Real, the most sycophantic thing about it is how those who blame him for being a short-term solution willfully ignore that he's alongside DelBosque the only manager to have survived 3 seasons in decades. Bayern haven't had a manager who stayed over 3 seasons in 11 years. In the PL, aside from unambitious clubs like Arsenal (seen any sane Arsenal fan around recently?) and Everton in the Moyes years the trend has been the same.
ManUtd under Fergie is the model but they've been erratic at best since he retired, they may very well be on the market alongside us in May. ManCity have been underperforming relative to their investment and squad and are coming near the end of a circle, their parting with Mancini was still much more peaceful than what we usually experience. Liverpool, Tottenham and Chelsea have all had hot managerial prospects, but their light shined for a season max. Was there a more promising manager when we hired AVB? Was there a more correct decision than getting rid of him?
Put it another way, do the other top clubs go through quasi-existential crises when they sack managers, or do we blow the issue out of proportion?
Edit: Came across similar charts from the FT

Thank you! This is along very similar lines to the ones I've been thinking. The perpetual relapse and search for a new project and associated Mesiah seems to indicate a larger dynamic.I'm beginning to wonder whether, aside from the obvious innumerable failings of our club, the idea of a project (manifested in that long-term manager we never had) is really now a false thing to believe in (or even aspire to?).
Whether that's due to the ever increased professionalization of the sport or the money in it now, your guess is as good as mine but you can't deny that attachment to long-lasting managers is really the exception rather than the rule.
As much as I hate the revisioning of Mourinho's time at Real, the most sycophantic thing about it is how those who blame him for being a short-term solution willfully ignore that he's alongside DelBosque the only manager to have survived 3 seasons in decades. Bayern haven't had a manager who stayed over 3 seasons in 11 years. In the PL, aside from unambitious clubs like Arsenal (seen any sane Arsenal fan around recently?) and Everton in the Moyes years the trend has been the same.
ManUtd under Fergie is the model but they've been erratic at best since he retired, they may very well be on the market alongside us in May. ManCity have been underperforming relative to their investment and squad and are coming near the end of a circle, their parting with Mancini was still much more peaceful than what we usually experience. Liverpool, Tottenham and Chelsea have all had hot managerial prospects, but their light shined for a season max. Was there a more promising manager when we hired AVB? Was there a more correct decision than getting rid of him?
Put it another way, do the other top clubs go through quasi-existential crises when they sack managers, or do we blow the issue out of proportion?
Edit: Came across similar charts from the FT

Thank you! This is along very similar lines to the ones I've been thinking. The perpetual relapse and search for a new project and associated Mesiah seems to indicate a larger dynamic.I'm beginning to wonder whether, aside from the obvious innumerable failings of our club, the idea of a project (manifested in that long-term manager we never had) is really now a false thing to believe in (or even aspire to?).
Whether that's due to the ever increased professionalization of the sport or the money in it now, your guess is as good as mine but you can't deny that attachment to long-lasting managers is really the exception rather than the rule.
As much as I hate the revisioning of Mourinho's time at Real, the most sycophantic thing about it is how those who blame him for being a short-term solution willfully ignore that he's alongside DelBosque the only manager to have survived 3 seasons in decades. Bayern haven't had a manager who stayed over 3 seasons in 11 years. In the PL, aside from unambitious clubs like Arsenal (seen any sane Arsenal fan around recently?) and Everton in the Moyes years the trend has been the same.
ManUtd under Fergie is the model but they've been erratic at best since he retired, they may very well be on the market alongside us in May. ManCity have been underperforming relative to their investment and squad and are coming near the end of a circle, their parting with Mancini was still much more peaceful than what we usually experience. Liverpool, Tottenham and Chelsea have all had hot managerial prospects, but their light shined for a season max. Was there a more promising manager when we hired AVB? Was there a more correct decision than getting rid of him?
Put it another way, do the other top clubs go through quasi-existential crises when they sack managers, or do we blow the issue out of proportion?
Edit: Came across similar charts from the FT

Might be the only one but I'm really not a fan of Simone. He makes Jose look more gentleman-like than Ancelotti!

It is not a poor narrative, it is a stupid and deluded narrative. This is even more a stupid narrative than it could be because the same people seems to associate this narrative (i.e. 'player power') with the narrative of 'players being no leaders, being spineless, being pussies'.
This association of narratives is extremely incoherent and stinks 'desilusion' and 'bad faith'. How can a pussy on the pitch suddenly turns out to be a grade-A lobbyist as soon as they enter the dressing room ? They simply don't. Drogba, Lampard, Essien, Cole, Terry — they were the definition of 'player power' (ask Scolari and AVB). Though they were also 'leaders' and had 'passion'. That's just like with Ramos and Casillas : they were the 'player power' at Madrid, but they were also 'leaders' and were 'Madrid'.
So once again I ask the question, how can our spineless bunch of players can have any sort of power ? And we are not talking about having a 'little' power, we are talking about having a 'lot' of power. Because it concerns Mourinho for Christ's sake. Even an icon such as Casillas has had his career ruined in the process of getting Mourinho out. And if we analyze our previous 'player power', we can realize that it took Lampard, Cole and Essien to fire a mere nobody such as André Villas-Boas. The problem here is that, none of our player have the status that Lampard/Essien/Cole had (and I am not sure that any of them, except maybe Hazard will reach this status) ; and in term of status, Villas-Boas is a nobody compared to Mourinho.
I really find it difficult to believe that our squad has enough power to get Mourinho sacked. Not only that, I also believe that a lot of them are simply not clever enough to do that... I mean, could you picture Ramires scheming a plan to get Mourinho axed ? Really ? And he's not the only one in this case. Moreover, a lot of players own too much to Mourinho to act against him. With Benitez, Terry was out of the picture and that's Mourinho who reinstated him as the undroppable leader. Ivanovic has been made vice-captain and has a free-pass — with most managers he would have been associated with Terry on the bench. Mikel, he collects checks because of Mourinho. Ramires can still miss passes in a Chelsea shirt because of Mourinho. Zouma, that is Mourinho who introduced him in the team. Oscar, he can go on to hide himself on football pitches because Mourinho saw him as his n°10. I could go on and on.
As you and many others have already described, when you see our players play, you can see no difference in 'passion' between last year when we were Champions and this year when we are 'zero'. They run just as much, they tackle just as much, they give effort just as much. No, on the contrary, what one could witness, it is a good-willed bunch of players that are lost. They want to success, but nobody tells them how to do and unfortunately 'pass the ball to Hazard' is not working any longer. They are also lost because that is a situation extremely difficult to handle for newly crowned champions — and throwing them under the bus is definitely not the solution.
And finally, when we talk about 'Mourinho having lost the dressing-room', this is not about a bunch of rebels that strike 'Mourinho out'. It only means that the dressing-room not longer responded to him because his methods and 'pedagogy' no longer worked on them. Simply enough. So yeah, if you want to create a football version of 'Game of thrones', the 'player power' is the narrative you should use — but unfortunately for us, most often than not, reality is really un-exciting.

Empathise with him more than any other manager we've had. He really did care and it's a shame the fairytale couldn't go on. Wonder how he bounces back

Fucks sake Chelsea, a man can't take a 4 year hiatus without the club imploding..